IM:AA  Legend of the Diamond Warrior
by FireFly209
Summary: Organised crime in New York City rises and super-powered villains seem to be springing up everywhere. Can Tony put his preconceptions behind him and trust his new friends to help? The city of New York might just depend on it...


**- = ( _ Iron Man Armoured Adventures _ Legend of the Diamond Warrior _ ) = -**

_Author's note: Hi, everyone. FF here with my second ever fanfiction - my first for IM:AA though. And yet this is the first story I've uploaded? This is because my Incredibles fanfiction - which was gonna be my first ever fanfiction - is taking longer to write and work on than I thought. Anyway, on to this fanfiction. I have rated it as T (teen, I think that is) for the shocking chapter early on. It's not gory or anything - it's just a very dark, emotional keystone for the story. Note that the Iron Man characters - Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, etc - are not in the first chapters - these chapters are purely to introduce my OCs fully and to give an explanation of who they are and stuff. Here we go! ...Yeah, I know - pathetic chapter title. And pathetic story title. I'm really bad at those, it seems. __

_(Oh - and I thought I should point out - I've tried to keep this as true to New York as possible, but there may be some mistakes as I am not an American. So if there are moments where I slip up or write something incorrectly - like colour instead of color, or pavement instead of sidewalk - then I apologise in advance. ^_^ )_

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**Chapter One: A Happy Family**

The afternoon sun shone brightly across the city of New York as its many residents - and tourists - pushed their way through the many crowded streets. Over at New York Central Elementary School, the bell was ringing signalling the end of another school day - and the start of summer vacation for the many kids who poured out of the building.

One of those kids was Alex Lethbridge - a tall, skinny eleven-year-old with short, straightened jet-black hair, amber eyes and a warm smile. He headed over to one of the many parents all waiting to collect their kids. Alex's dad - a towering, muscular figure of a man - was waiting nearby, standing next to the old Volkswagen Passat that was their family car.

"Did you have a good day at school?" The tall, strong man asked. Alex's father may have looked like a toughened fighter on the outside, but on the inside he was a truly caring, devoted family man who cared deeply for his wife and two kids.

Alex shrugged, "It was alright I guess." he replied, "I can't believe they replaced sports day this year with a health and safety lecture." he added, an irritable undertone in his voice. Alex was really pretty smart, and often did pretty well at most of his subjects. His strong points were definitely science and maths, and while he often did badly at P.E. and sports, he did have a talent for martial arts, which he took as an after school class.

"They were just worried you'd win all the trophies." Commented Alex's dad jokingly as he sat back down into the driver's seat of the car. Last year, Alex had been the only kid out of the entire school to be in the bottom three in every event. While he was a little relieved to not have to go through the torture of another sports day, he definitely felt the boring lecture replacing it was far worse.

"Very funny, dad." Alex replied with a laugh as he sat down in the front passenger seat. He then pushed his backpack over the seat and onto the back seat before putting on his seatbelt. "So, what's the plan? Mum said something this morning about maybe going out somewhere tonight." Alex asked curiously, changing the subject away from his lack of sporting talent. They didn't often get to go out anywhere as a family, so Alex looked forward to the few occasions when they were able to go places and do things.

Alex's dad - who had started the car and was already indicating to pull out into the traffic - glanced over to his son before answering, "As me and your mum both have the evening off tonight, we were thinking of going out for a meal - maybe go somewhere for a pizza or something. Then maybe we could catch a movie after if there's time."

Alex's dad worked for an advertising agency, dealing with all the paperwork and planning details for the projects the company undertook. Alex's mum worked as an area manager for a popular fast food chain, dealing with all the branches in the New York City area. Alex knew their work often involved long, hard hours but often wished they could be around more.

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Alex commented in response, before frowning, "But what about Jake?" he added with a hint of worry. Jake was Alex's younger brother. At only five years old, he was usually too young to see pretty much everything the cinema was showing.

"Oh, I forgot to say - Jake's spending the evening with your Aunt Mavis. We'll be dropping him off there after the meal." Alex's dad informed Alex. Alex nodded acceptingly. Jake often spent time with Aunt Mavis, and seemed to get on really well with her, unlike Alex who felt uncomfortable around his Aunt. There was something about that smell of camomile tea and stale biscuits that always surrounded her that set his teeth on edge.

After a momentary break in conversation with only the sound of the mid-afternoon rush hour filling the air, Alex decided to finally break the silence by asking the often-asked question, "So, how was work?" And off went Alex's dad, telling Alex about all that had happened at work. It was a regular conversation, but somehow Alex liked it.

It was almost a familiar, comforting routine for him, listening to the goings on in the office, from the various different work briefs laid out by the clients to the many mishaps of missus whatsit from finance. All the while, the traffic outside rumbled on as the rush-hour traffic jam once again brought New York City s streets to a crawl.

Eventually the car was pulling up in the family parking space in the shared garage underneath the apartment building that Alex called home. Together they climbed out the car and headed over to the elevator. Alex pushed the button hopefully, but then noticed the A4 paper stuck to the doors which read "Leeft Oot Of Survicks" in dodgy handwriting. "I think it means the lift is broken." Alex said, frowning at the terrible spelling.

That then left the stairs as the only way up. Reluctantly, the two climbed up the many staircases that lead up to the higher levels. After a lot of climbing, they finally made it to the landing of the nineteenth floor. From there they then walked along a short corridor to their flat's front door. They had only just stepped in the door when all of a sudden a red-haired five-year-old raced over and wrapped himself around Alex.

"Hey, steady on Jake." Alex commented, laughing slightly at the over-excitement of his younger brother. Jake was very similar to Alex in physical build and appearance, looking almost like a five-year-old replica of his older brother. The only exception to this was his hair which was longer and a deep red in colour, and his eyes which were a deep ocean blue.

"How s my favourite little brother, then?" Alex said playfully, kneeling down to be at eye level with Jake, who replied, "Alex, I'm your only brother!" Jake giggled slightly at Alex's 'mistake'. Alex's mother then entered the room and smiled at the sight of her two sons talking together. She was so happy with how well the two boys got on with each other, though often worried that maybe Alex was growing up a little too fast.

Alex's mother was a slim, slender lady with slightly curled red hair and bright blue eyes. What she lacked in height she made up for in personality, being a charming, friendly, helpful and excitable personality. "We'll be heading out in about ten minutes." She said.

Alex nodded in response, "OK, thanks mum." he said before heading off to his bedroom to change out of his school uniform into something more casual. As the family only had a two bedroom flat, Jake and Alex lived together in a shared bedroom. The two boys then entered this room together. Jake sat down on the bottom level of their bunk-bed as Alex headed over to the wardrobe.

Within minutes Alex had changed out of his uniform and had pulled on some casual clothes. He was wearing a black long-sleeve t-shirt with a complex-looking design printed on it, with a white-n-blue checked open short-sleeve collared shirt worn over the top of that. He also wore a pair of dark-blue straight-cut jeans with a blue-n-white checked skater belt. Happy with his look, he then turned to his younger brother, "You ready?" he asked patiently. Jake nodded, and the two headed back out into the living room of the flat.

Alex's mum looked over her elder son as he entered the living room and internally complemented him on his fashion sense. She felt proud to have a son she could consider to have a sense of style. Alex's dad then stood up, "So, are we ready to go?" he asked.

Alex nodded, "Yep, I'm ready. So where are we heading?" he asked. He was curious where they were planning to go to get something to eat.

"Well, we were thinking maybe pizza - or we could grab a burger if you'd prefer?" Alex's mum replied, glancing to her husband who nodded in agreement.

Alex thought to himself which he'd prefer, before turning to his younger brother who then said, "I'd like Pizza please."

Alex grinned, "I guess that's that problem sorted." he said, putting an arm around his brother.

Alex's parents laughed a little before heading out of the flat, the two boys following close behind. After the long walk back down the stairs - "What a stupid sign!" commented Alex's mum with a laugh as she passed the elevator - they were back at the car. Alex and Jake got into the back seats and their parents got into the front seats of the car. And then they were off.

The car journey was reasonably short - the pizza house wasn't too far from their flat, and the rush hour traffic had already begun to clear up. As they travelled, Alex and Jake played a game of 'I Spy' in the back of the car, with their parents occasionally joining in whenever they felt like it. The radio was playing in the background playing random tunes but no-one was really listening to it.

Before they knew it, they were already at a table for four looking at the pizza menu together. Alex's parents talked amongst themselves about what pizzas to have, and Alex helped Jake to choose a pizza. The two adults had both chosen what to have, and then looked to their two sons who were talking together while looking over the menu. Alex's dad smiled in pride at how caring his elder son was.

Soon, the family of four were diving in to three hot pizzas - Alex and Jake had decided to share one in the end. Very little conversation was made as the four focused on eating. The powerhouse dad of the family quickly finished off his pizza - a feast of meats crammed together. He was quickly followed by the tag team eaters of Alex and Jake who had been hungrier than they'd realised and had chosen a pepperoni pizza. Their mum then finished last, with the vegetarian option.

After the pizzas, it was off to Auntie Mavis' bungalow in the outer regions of the city. They soon arrived at the right place, and Alex and Jake climbed out of the car and up the driveway to the front door. Alex's parents stayed in the car as they were only dropping off Jake before leaving for the cinema. After knocking on the door, Alex waited for his Aunt to answer. Jake grinned up to him, "It's been a while since we last saw Mavis." He commented thoughtfully yet excitedly.

Alex nodded in agreement, "It's been ...At least a month, I think." He replied thoughtfully. A small part of him was glad of that. It wasn't that Alex disliked her, but he just couldn't help but feel uneasy around the strange woman. At that moment, the door swung open and there stood the 58-year-old smiling pleasantly to them.

"Hello dears." She said in her usual sweet voice. "It's good to see you again after so long." She was wearing her usual cream and brown fleece-shawl over a flowery top and matching long skirt which reached to her ankles. Behind her, the numerous cats she owned roamed freely around the house.

Alex smiled back, "It's nice to see you again, too, Mavis." He looked down to his younger brother to see him smiling back at him with a carefree, happy expression on his face. Remembering how much his brother enjoyed spending time with their strange Aunt, Alex just said, "Hope you have a good time. We'll be back in a couple of hours to pick you up." Jake hugged him tightly, "See you soon." he said, and then headed inside.

Alex smiled warmly, feeling good in the knowledge that his younger brother would be happy and safe while they were gone. "See you later, Mavis." He said to his Aunt, who waved as he walked back to the car. After he climbed into the back seat, they headed off to the cinema.

While Alex was already missing his brother, he knew he would enjoy spending quality time with his parents, especially his dad who he had a great admiration and respect for. They'd chosen to watch a horror movie that they'd heard was good from the many reviews that Alex's parents had read in the papers. Alex and his dad were really enjoying the film, sharing some popcorn between them and generally having fun spending quality time together. Alex's mum, on the other hand, was terrified by what was happening on screen.

After the movie, Alex and his dad couldn't help but laugh at how scared Alex's mum had been throughout the movie. They tried to be sympathetic but just kept bursting into fits of laughter at the thought of her being terrified of the movie they'd seen. After a while, they'd finally pulled up outside Aunt Mavis's bungalow to pick up Jake. He quickly came bounding out, just as happy as he'd been when he went in. He and Alex spent the journey home trading stories - Jake telling Alex what he'd been up to in Mavis's house, and Alex telling Jake about the movie they'd seen - and their mum's reactions to the movie.

Eventually they arrived at the basement garage under the block of flats. As Alex's parents climbed out the car, Alex turned to his younger brother to find Jake had fallen fast asleep in the last few minutes of their journey. Carefully he carried his brother out of the car and followed his parents to the stairs. It wasn't easy, but somehow Alex managed to carry Jake all the way up to their floor.

Alex carried Jake to their room and carefully woke him up long enough for the two boys to be able to get ready for bed. Their parents then said goodnight to their two boys before heading to bed themselves. It didn't take long for Alex to fall into a pleasant sleep.

But he wasn't asleep for long. A few hours later, and he was woken up by the sound of thunder rolling across the sky. Bleary eyed, he turned to his clock to check the time and found it was 3am. Sighing, he turned over and was about to go back to sleep when he heard what sounded like whimpering. Alex then sat upright in his bed, trying to find the source of the sound. He then climbed up to the top bunk to find his little brother shivering in his bed with a look of sheer terror on his face.

"I ...d-d-don't like ...th-th-thunder." Jake stuttered quietly and fearfully as another flash of lightning lit the room up through the curtains. The young brother pulled himself close to Alex and held on tightly, "Can you make it stop?" he asked desperately.

Alex hugged Jake tightly, "Hey, it's OK. It's only outside." he whispered gently. He stroked his younger brother's hair gently, "You're safe here." he said soothingly. Alex then had an idea for a way to help take his brother's attention away from the storm outside, "Wanna watch some TV?" he suggested. Jake nodded slowly. Alex and Jake then climbed back down out of the bed and sat down together on a giant beanbag in front of the small TV in their room. Alex stuck on a DVD and they watched a film together.

As they sat there, Jake suddenly said, "I had a dream, too." Alex looked over to his brother who was cuddled up by his side, "What sort of dream?" He asked.

"A bad one." Jake responded simply. Alex could tell that this dream had scared Jake deeply, and wondered whether talking about something so scary was such a good idea. Jake then went on to explain, "You were in it. And so was I. And Mum and Dad. I was holding your head in my lap. You were dying. There was blood. It was scary. I thought I was gonna lose you. I'm not gonna lose you. Am I?"

Alex hugged his brother tightly, "Feel that?" he said warmly, "It means I'm still here. I'm never letting go." Jake smiled, happy and safe knowing his brother would always be there. They then turned their attention back to the movie. Slowly, the two boys fell asleep curled up together in each-other's arms as if protected from anything and everything - as if the world itself couldn't break them apart.

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_Author's Note: Must... Stop... Over... Using... Dashes... Oh, and maybe, y'know, less commas? ...Dang grammar addiction..._

_Yeah, I know - ended that on a bit of a brotherly companionship session there. Hope you like the story so far. Sorry if it's a little bland in places - I tried to make it work, so hopefully I succeeded for a first chapter._

_Alex was starting off a little ...Gary Stu is it for a guy? ...But that was hopefully fixed when I rewrote some of his dialogue and stuff. And if not, then it should all change in a later chapter - and he'll go EMO! :D ...nah, just kidding - though he will definitely become a darker character for a while at least as the story goes on. _

_Also, I read somewhere that readers on this site prefer it when authors start a new paragraph every time a different person speaks - I tried to do that as much as possible here, but there are a couple of exceptions where it would've been impractical to have done that, in my opinion. _

_Hmm... Long chapter? Probably not. I'm still surprised I was able to write anything at all - usually first chapters are near-impossible for me. Next chapter is being written up now and will be coming very soon. Hopefully within the week, but no promises. Also, I really need to stop making my author's notes so large! If I'm not careful, there'll end up being more notes than actual story!_


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